PM Nawaz to chair meeting to decide for by-elections or going to appeal

ISLAMABAD: After the recent electoral rigging debacle, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has decided to call a meeting at the Prime Minister House.

The purpose of the meeting would be to chalk out a strategy to contest the by-elections against Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf (PTI) in all three constituencies or file an appeal against tribunals decisions.

PML-N suffered a setback this week as two election tribunals deseated two senior PML-N MNAs, giving the verdict in favour of PTI’s petitions against alleged electoral rigging. PML-N suffered embarrassment this week as former Speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan Sardar Ayaz Sadiq’s win was annulled by the Election Tribunal and re-polling was ordered in his constituency NA-122 in Lahore. The petition had been filed by PTI chairman Imran Khan, who was the runner-up in the constituency.

An election tribunal again gave a verdict in favour of PTI leader Jahangir Tareen when it ordered in NA 154 constituency. It must be noted that last year in August PTI had launched a protest campaign against the Sharif-led government, calling for the Prime Minister to step down and conduct an independent inquiry regarding General Elections 2013.

Instead of going to the Supreme Court, the PML-N candidates had decided to contest the by-elections against PTI. A similar announcement is expected from PML-N representative Khawaja Saad Rafiq.